Baby Horseman
by castor442
Summary: Just a series of one shots about the mischief the youngest horseman gets into. Warning: Contains spanking of a fictional teenager
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Now You See Me. Suing me would be a complete waste of time cos I got no money either.**_

 _ **Warning: Contains spanking  
**_

* * *

 **For those of you following my other stories you may know that I haven't been well for a while. I am probably not all healed up but I am much better than I was a few months ago and I'll do my utmost best to update all your favorite stories. I have returned to school as well and without the watchful gaze of my parents I can watch as much movies as I want and boy did I miss a lot in these past months. Well I watched NYSM again to brush up for NYSM 2 and after the adorable part where Jack says "I don't know guys. I don't wanna go to jail" and Danny replying by "You said you want to be treated as an adult? Well now's your chance" this story just popped into my head. I'm going to make it a series of one shots about our favorite sleight and the amount of trouble he gets into with each of the horsemen.**

* * *

Dylan looked at the quiet horsemen as they lounged on the couch. Peacefully. With the tv on. The only time this happened was if it was time for that ridiculous show they all happened to like. He didn't even know its name. That was how much he hated it. But if it kept them silent and somewhat friendly, hey, he wasn't complaining. After one last look in their direction, he turned back to the papers before him.

"Danny, its about to start" Henley yelled out, causing Dylan to look back at them. He hadn't noticed Danny leave the room. Oh wait, he knew exactly where he had gone. The other horsemen had taken it upon themselves to rile Jack up every time the show was about to start. See, the thing was Jack's bedtime was an hour before the show began and Dylan explicitly refused, even after days of pleading and puppy dog eyes and tears, to allow Jack to be up after ten. He was allowed to watch the repeat the next day at ten am, but he could never watch it with the other horsemen because it happened to be aired at 11 pm, a whole hour after his bedtime. But the other three, well, they took this opportunity to tease and bait Jack about how he wasn't grown up enough to roll with them and how he was missing the show(though technically he didn't miss it) and other stuff that was just sure to get Jack annoyed. For all his anger at having a bedtime though, most times Jack fell asleep rather quickly, leaving no chance of him being teased. And for all their bravery the horsemen will never dare wake Jack if he was sleeping for Jack was Dylan's baby and there'll be hell to pay.

"Danny, don't. Leave him alone" Dylan yelled in response, papers forgotten as he moved into the living room

"Oh, come on Dylan, its just some fun. He won't break" Merritt said, before also calling out. "Better hurry Danny, you're going to miss the beginning"

Danny came barrelling down the stars, face ashen. "He's not there"

"What do you mean he's not there? Where is he?" Henley asked, some humour in her voice

"I -I don't know. But he's not in his room" Danny answered, paling more by the second. "He's not... He's...gone... And I don't know..."

"Whoa Danny. Relax. Hey, breathe. I'm sure he's okay. We'll find him" Merritt tried to soothe, as Daniel was hyperventilating

"How... How did he get out anyway?" Danny gasped out, still trying to get his breathing under control. "We were all down here. He couldn't have snuck past us. And his room is on the second floor"

"When I bring him back you can ask him" Dylan said grimly as he grabbed his car keys. "After I kill him and bring him back of course" he added before slamming the front door.

The horsemen stared after him in a mix of pity and worry.

"Oh Jackie" Henley whispered

"He sure ain't gonna be sitting anytime soon, that's for damn sure. Did you see Dylan's face?" Merritt added as he came back from the kitchen with a glass of water for Danny

"He's dead" Danny intoned **  
**

* * *

Jack shifted uneasily as he felt the man's gaze on him again. The tattooed behemoth in the corner of the cell where he had been thrust rather unceremoniously had been eyeing him, undressing him with his eyes so much so that Jack wished for the safety of Dylan's arms right at that moment, even though he'll probably kill him. He shifted again, and wondered how he got himself into this situation. He could be home now, safely cocooned under mounds of blankets, without a care in the world instead if in this cold cell with barely enough clothes to keep warm. When were they going to take his statement so he could leave?

Jack thought back on how he had ended up in a police cell. Now that he had time to carefully deliberate, he realized how stupid he was to think he could get away with it. Everyone was strict about everything concerning him, especially Dylan, and they would have noticed his absence no matter how long it took. He probably should have stopped his misdeeds at the underage drinking, but oh no, he was Jack _freaking_ Wilder, he had to go the extra mile and start a bar fight (which he got out of surprisingly intact), and then turn the tables on four flustered officers who tried to take him in(to protect him no less, because the patrons of the bar were shooting him such glares of absolute hatred he wouldn't have lasted a moment had he been thrown in with them), sending them on a chase around the town before they managed to capture him. Needless to say, they were very pissed, and even though though didn't want Jack mauled to death by the very drunken people he goaded into the bar fight, they still wanted to instill the fear of God in him. And that led to Jacks current situation. The smug smile on his face quickly gave way to a look of absolute horror when he saw the tattooed Goliath he was now alone with.

He raised his head suddenly when he thought he heard Dylan's voice, only to give a startled yelp and scramble back so quickly he tripped and fell. Sometime during his reflection on his poor choices, the scary dude in the corner had come closer. Much closer, and they were now practically shoulder to shoulder. Jack ran all the way to the other side of the cell, his hands held out placatingly before him.

"Dude, stay away from me. I haven't done anything to you" he practically begged

"Now why would I do that pretty boy?" Gigantor said, moving closer and closer until he had Jack trapped in a corner

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Hey get off him"

Two voices spoke simultaneously but Jack had ears for only one, and as soon as the officer unlocked the cell he flew into Dylan's arms, forgetting for just that moment how much trouble he was in.

"What the hell were you trying to do?" Dylan intoned as he marched upon the giant, managing to still look menacing even with Jack strapped to his side as he wouldn't let go

"Agent Rhodes, calm down. Your nephew is fine. There's no need to hurt Mr..."

"I don't care what his god damn name is" Dylan cut off the officer sharply. "You locked a defenseless teenage boy into the same cell as that... thing? What if he got hurt, or worse?"

"Defenseless?" The officer burst out, before calming down. "Why don't we take this to the sheriffs' office, Agent Rhodes"

After a last venomous glare in the brute's direction, he pushed Jack in front of him and headed out the cell. **  
**

* * *

Jack was the perfect picture of miserable as he waited in the car for Dylan. The happiness he felt at what he concluded to be a rescue from that maniac back in the cell rapidly faded away as the sheriff of the small town they had been staying in for just over two weeks narrated his 'escapades' to Dylan in perfect detail. The only good thing that came out of it was that it was Dylan's hometown, and their family had a lot of pull around here because of a lot of history Jack couldn't remember now but bottom-line was Dylan was rich, very rich, and his family was influential in the town. So it hadn't taken long to convince the local sheriff's department to not process Jack and let it go; both the Shrike name and the FBI badge making that very easy. But then once the sheriff had started detailing Jack's activities for the very short while he had disappeared from the mansion, Dylan had sent a pale Jack to wait in the car. To anyone else, he looked calm and collected as he banished Jack from the room. But Jack knew him better than the average person, and he knew how very angry he was at what he was hearing.

By now, they should have finished talking, unless Dylan decided to cool off first before ripping Jack a new one. He always did that when he was angry, so he wouldn't punish him in anger. After Jack thought he couldn't take the stifling dread he was feeling in the car anymore, he made to get out and wait for Dylan outside it, except he chose that exact moment to come out of the police station.

"Get your ass back in that car" Dylan said in a voice that sent Jack diving back into the back seat. There was no talking as Dylan broke all the speed limits Jack could think of to get them home. Only a short and clipped call to the other horsemen to let them know he had found Jack broke the silence. And then Jack was being dragged out of the back and into the house. Dylan made a beeline for the couch with Jack in tow, and for the first time since he had been found that night, Jack tried to resist, for even though he knew exactly why they were headed in the direction of the couch, he was not ready yet.

"Wait. D-Dylan please" Jack pleaded, and when Dylan made no intention to stop he dug his heels in and refused to move. If he thought that would derail his guardian, he was proved sorely wrong as Dylan lifted him up and threw him over his shoulder the rest of the way, to the horsemen's open mouthed amazement.

What happened next was a blur to Jack. One moment he was over Dylan's shoulder and the next he was over his lap on the couch sans his pants and boxers. He didn't even have time to protest the childish position before smack after searing smack landed on his unprotected behind. _Man,_ Dylan was **not** playing around this time. He could already feel tears coming on. Scratch that, he was already crying. After an eternity of the painful reminder as to why it was never a good idea to scare or disobey Dylan, Jack wondered when the lecturing was going to start. Because Dylan only started to lecture when he was halfway done and if he hadn't started talking yet that meant he wasn't even halfway yet and that scared Jack horribly. His butt already felt like the inside of a volcano and he didn't think he could handle any more of the searing smacks. _Please start talking, start talking,_ he begged silently. But Dylan just continued to spank silently. Jack twisted and turned and flailed and writhed all to no avail. Dylan's grip was strong. Finally, Jack exhausted himself and lay limp on Dylan's lap. Then he started to speak.

"We are barely two weeks into our stay and this is the first impression you make? You are nineteen Jack, nineteen. You have no business being in a bar let alone starting a bar fight. These are hardy country folks who work long hours a day. You wouldn't have stood a chance had the police not arrived. And how did you thank them? Sent them on a joy chase across town and then antagonizing them" Dylan stated, laying down an extra hard smack on the crimson bottom. "Do you know how worried I was, we all were? Danny had a panic attack when you disappeared. Jack you could have been seriously injured. Come to think of it, how did you get out of the house? Because you certainly didn't use the front door"

Jack was crying too hard to give Dylan an answer. All he longed for was this spanking to end so he could rub the life out of his backside. When he took too long to answer, Dylan prompted him with a smack. "Jack?"

He sniffled. "I j-jumped out the w-window"

Henley gasped and Merritt's face paled. "Jack, your room is on the second floor. How did you jump t-two stories down? T-there is nothing to hold on to, to support you" Danny stuttered out, looking like he was about to be sick

"Henley, get me the hairbrush from the bathroom please" Dylan said calmly

Jack burst into loud wails as he said this. Seriously, his bottom could not take any more punishment. "P-please. I'm sorry, D-Dylan. Very sorry"

"Uh Dylan, I think he's had eno…"

"Henley, the brush. Now" Dylan iterated, watching as Henley disappeared up the stairs with a look of pity in jack's direction, before he turned to jack. "I know you are sorry Jackie but you're about to be sorrier. Jumping out of a second floor window? You could have broken your neck! What were you thinking?" He took the brush from a reluctant Henley and set it on Jack's quivering backside. "You're getting ten"

How wrong Jack was to think he didn't have any more tears left. He sobbed brokenly as Dylan laid down ten sizzling hot spanks on his sit spots as he swore fervently that he was never drinking or getting in bar fights even when he turned twenty one and he promised to never ever antagonize the police and he'll go to bed whenever he was told and he'll never sneak out and he'll eat broccoli without a fuss… the last part actually made Dylan chuckle a bit as he lifted his sobbing form into a hug.

"It's okay. I got you, Jackie. I got you" Dylan soothed as the distraught boy still mumbled apologies and promises. He decided to lay the rest of his punishment on him while he couldn't protest. "By the way, you're grounded for two weeks. No phone, no computer, no TV, no games. And you'll be sleeping with me every night for those two weeks, probably more. You get that Jack?"

 _Silence_

"Jackie?"

"Yes sir"

"Good. Now it's past midnight. Why don't you go on and get some sleep? You too" he said to the remaining horsemen. "He'll be okay. You can coddle him tomorrow"

They squawked and spluttered. "We don't coddle Jack"

"Uh huh. Of course not" Dylan said with a twinkle in his eye. "Whatever you say" He looked down at Jack occasionally sniffling in his arms, face turned into his neck as his breath slowly evened out. "Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"When I said sleep I meant in a bed. Not on me"

The reply he got was soft snores

"Unbelievable"

* * *

 _Please read and review_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Now You See Me**_

 _ **Warning: contains spanking**_

* * *

Dylan started awake to the shrill sound of his phone ringing. After clumsily fiddling with it to keep it from waking the teenager beside him, his finger managed to find the answer button. He pressed the phone to his ear without looking at the caller ID, sighing in relief as Jack mumbled something incomprehensible and fell even deeper into sleep.

"Rhodes" he all but barked into the phone. It was three freaking am in the morning. "What? Now?" he yelled, lowering his voice when Jack started to stir again. "Okay, I understand sir. I'll be there. Yes that will be great thank you. Okay sir. Thank you again"

Dylan sighed again as he dropped the phone, this time in frustration. _Damn his job,_ he cursed silently. He stared into space for almost five minutes before kicking himself into action. He slinked down the hall and knocked on Merritt's door before poking his head around it. Merritt was a light sleeper and would have woken immediately he knocked. He was right, as Merritt sat up in bed with a questioning look on his face.

"Dylan, what's going on?"

"Sorry for waking you Merritt but something came up. I need you to drive me to the airport"

Merritt instantly felt more awake as he climbed out of bed. "Is everything okay?" he asked worriedly

Dylan shook his head. "I don't know Merritt. They wouldn't tell me anything on the phone. But it sounded important. I need some time to get dressed and speak to Henley and Daniel. Luckily for me, I have a bag parked for situations like this else I wouldn't know what to do right now. Do you think you could be ready in twenty?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll wake the others for you. Take your time"

"Thanks Merritt"

Dylan was ready in fifteen minutes. He packed an extra coat into his bag as the weather was becoming rather chilly, then slipped some socks onto Jack's cold feet. After pulling the blankets around him properly, he kissed his head and disappeared downstairs to meet Merritt and the other horsemen.

"Sorry for waking you guys"

"It's okay" Henley said. "After hearing you yell into the phone, I think its safe to say we were all about half awake before Merritt came to call us"

"Yeah. You could have woken the dead. I wonder how Jack is still asleep" Danny added

Dylan chuckled amusedly. "Jack could sleep through the apocalypse if you let him. Oh that reminds me. He's still grounded. He can't leave the house. Henley, make sure he eats healthy food please. Force it down his throat if you have to. Danny, as I said earlier, still grounded. Don't let him talk you into playing video games. And Merritt,..."

"Dylan, man, come on. We got this. He'll be fine"

"Okay then, that's it. Goodbye guys"

"Bye Dylan"

* * *

Jack trudged bleary eyed into the living room a couple of hours later, earning an eye roll from Danny.

"How is it you get out of bed early when you've been expressly forbidden from getting up until a particular time but as soon as you're not restricted you sleep the day away?"

"Ugh, Danny. It's too early. Leave me alone" he grumbled, picking up the box of corn flakes in the kitchen and plopping beside Danny on the couch. "Where's Dylan?"

"It's past ten in the morning Jack, and Dylan's on a trip"

"Ten is still early Danny" Jack grumbled further, before the latter part of Danny's answer caught up with him. He instantly seemed more awake. "What do you mean Dylan's on a trip? When did he leave?"

"At dawn. He didn't wanna wake you"

"But... But... He should have woken me" he whispered dejectedly

Danny felt pity for him. "Don't worry Jackie. He'll be back before you know it. In the meantime, you have us to look out for you"

"Yay" he muttered sarcastically as he started to chew the corn flakes. He only had about ten seconds however before Henley pulled it out of his grasp. "Hey! What the hell?"

"Watch your mouth Jack" Henley reprimanded. "Come eat breakfast"

"That was what I was doing Hen"

"A real breakfast Jackie. If you want the corn flakes you have to eat it properly, with milk and sugar" Henley said as she dragged him towards the kitchen.

"I was going to drink the milk after. It would have been the same thing. Danny help!"

"It's not the same thing and you know it Jack. So quit it" Henley said, before depositing the errant teen into the chair with a glare

"Sorry Jack. Can't help ya. Dylan put Henley in charge of your feeding habits" he said unapologetically

Jack scowled, but a darker one from Henley had him shoveling cereal into his mouth quickly. "Merritt would have helped me. Where is he anyway?" He asked around a mouthful of food

"Sleeping. He had to drive Dylan to the airport"

"Oh. Can we play call of duty later?"

"No Jack. You're grounded, remember? No TV, no computer, no phone, no videogames"

"But Dylan's not here Danny. Can't you make an exception? I promise I'll be good" he tried to coax. "Come on Danny, it's been over a week. I'm having withdrawals"

"No can do Jack. Sorry"

Jack turned gloomily back to his food, noticing two buttered pieces of toast and a glass of orange juice has been added to his meal. "Sorry Hen" he mumbled. "I'm not hungry anymore"

Henley looked at him sadly. "Come on Jackie. Eat at least one piece of toast"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry Henley"

Henley remembered Dylan's words from that morning. _Force it down his throat if you have to._ But she shook her head. She could never do that to Jack. Dylan wouldn't either, the big softie. Jack had them all so perfectly wrapped around his finger.

"Okay Jack. How about you eat half of this meal and then we can go out?"

Danny's head snapped up from the book he was reading. "Henley, you can't. Dylan said..."

"Dylan said to watch Jack. I need a new pair of shoes and we are almost out of groceries. We're going shopping. And since there's no one home to babysit Jack, he'll have to come with us"

"Clever" Danny agreed. "But we're all not going shopping"

"Oh yes we are" Henley said. "So how about it Jack? You ready to get out of the house?"

Jack grinned cheekily. "You have no idea"

* * *

"You dragged me out of bed to watch Jack flit around like drunk fly?" Merritt grumbled

Henley rolled her eyes at Jack's overdramatic displays of freedom. "You know you weren't sleeping Mer. Besides, how much trouble can he get into with the three of us around?" At the incredulous looks she received, she muttered "Never mind"

"We have enough groceries to take us through five winters, and you have all the shoes and clothes you could possibly need in one lifetime. Can we go now? It's getting late" Danny grumbled

"Alright fine" Henley grumbled back. "Let's just get Jack. You guys are no fun" She looked around a few times. "Where did he go?"

Danny face palmed. "I knew this would happen. He's given us the slip"

"I'm gonna throttle him" Henley seethed. "He's never leaving the house again until he's thirty five"

She and Merritt went on to look for Jack, leaving poor Danny with the unenviable job of putting their shopping into the car. They found him almost three hours later- the sun almost disappeared completely- playing cards with a couple of the local kids. He was winning, obviously, and Henley loved the happiness he was radiating but it wasn't enough to save him from the tongue lashing she was going to dish out. It was only when she came closer that she realized the sizeable amount in the middle of the makeshift table the teens were using.

"Jack, you disappeared for almost three hours to come sit here and gamble?" she asked very quietly

Jack turned to her with a smile. "Come see Hen. I'm winning". He would have recognized the grim set of her lips as trouble if he wasn't so euphoric on his 'conquests'

"I'll bet" Henley nodded. "Pack it guys. I'm sure your parents are worried sick somewhere, like I have been…" she looked pointedly at Jack "… looking for you"

Jack chuckled. "Come on Henley, they can take care of themselves. We can take care of ourselves. Right, boys?" The boys just looked at Jack and Henley alternatively. Being raised in the countryside, they knew to respect authority figures and right now Henley was oozing the same authority as their mothers. They were confused, unlike Jack however who had been raised in New York, where respect had been removed from his vocabulary from birth. "So don't be a bitch about it"

There were collective gasps as the other boys made various excuses and disappeared, shooting Jack looks of pity. Jack himself didn't seem to find anything wrong with what he had just said to Henley, and was more torn up about having to stop the game they had been playing. He did notice though when his ear was grabbed painfully and he was dragged behind a mop of red hair.

"Henley, what the hell? You're hurting me" he squeaked

Henley chuckled mirthlessly. "Oh you think this hurts? Wait until I'm done with you" she gritted as she dragged the teen behind her. They passed by a lot of murmuring housewives, who thought Jack deserved whatever was going to happen, and an open mouthed wide eyed Merritt and Danny. Merritt had gone back to Danny after searching for Jack for about two hours. "Go on home boys. Jack and I would be later" she threw over her shoulder at them

"Henley it's almost two miles to the mansion" Danny tried to reason. "Just get in the car okay? We'll figure it out at home"

Henley huffed and deposited Jack in the back seat before sliding in beside him. Merritt settled himself in the passenger seat as Danny was already behind the wheel and he didn't see any sense in making him move over. He kept shooting glances at Jack and Henley through the mirror though, taking in Jack's almost adorable petulant pout and Henley's fuming face.

"Okay, guys. What happened back there?" Merritt asked when he couldn't take the silence anymore. After a few moments of more silence, he raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Jackie?"

"Henley embarrassed me in front of my friends Mer. We were just playing and then she came and dragged me off by my ear. My ear, like I was some unruly child" Jack begun, only for Henley to interrupt.

"Aren't you missing a few details, Jackie dear?" she asked in a suspiciously sweet voice

"What? So I called you some names. If you hadn't gone and been an insufferable whore …"

"JACK"… "JACKIE"! The car screeched to a halt as Danny and Merritt both yelled at the teen in shock. They had just begun on the dirt road that led up to their house and they still had at least half a mile of road ahead of them. Henley got out of the car and stomped over to the other side, dragging Jack out and landing five very hard swats to his behind. Danny and Merritt looked on wide eyed as Jack sputtered.

"You-You can't do that to me Henley. I'll-I'll tell Dylan"

"Oh I can and I will Jack. I don't know what the hell has gotten into you but you are not allowed to call me names after I have been so kind to take you out of the house while you were grounded. You can go right ahead and tell Dylan about it when he returns. We'll see what he has to say but this disrespectful attitude is over" she said as she handed Jack over to Merritt before stalking off into the woods. She returned holding two freshly cut switches stripped of leaves. How she did it no one knew, but Jack had enough sense to start pleading.

"Wait Wait Wait. Henley please, I'm sorry. You don't have to do this. Please. Dylan won't let you" he begged as he struggled to get away from Merritt. "P-Please. Please don't" he added, voice breaking.

"You've been asking for it Jackie" Henley said, before taking him from Merritt and draping him over the trunk of the car. For all her small stature though, Henley was quite strong, and Jack learned that when he couldn't break free from her grip. She reached down one hand and unbuttoned his jeans before pulling it down with his boxers.

A strangled cry tore itself out of Jack's throat as the fiery redhead laid a burning stripe on his backside. He regretted every curse word and every insult he had leveled at Henley, both in his head and in reality as his bottom burned from the switches. At one point he tried to beg some ore, but he was crying too hard to form coherent sentences. It went on for forever (though in reality it was less than three minutes, but unlike Dylan Henley didn't lecture while doling out a spanking) before she released his wrists and pulled up his pants before pulling him up to stand on shaky feet. Jack hopped up and down rubbing his bottom ad giving it relief from the awful sting Henley had put there. He alternated between doing this and hugging himself and wiping his face of tears.

"You have something to say to Henley, Jackie?" Merritt asked the distraught boy

Jack nodded vigorously. "S-Sorry Hen. Sorry. No more please. It h-hurts. It hurts" he coughed out in between sobs, unconsciously inching away from Henley

"It's okay, Jack. It's over." Merritt comforted as he pulled him into a hug. "It's over. Calm down now. That's it" he tried to soothe

"It hurts Mer. It really hurts" Jack hiccupped

"I'm sure it did. But so did your words to Henley. You won't do it again though, right?" Jack shook his head against Merritt's shoulder. "Good. Come on, let's go home"

Jack paled. "C-Can I walk back?"

Danny chuckled slightly. "No Jack. It's part of your punishment. Besides it's less than a minute's drive. I'm sure you can manage"

* * *

Henley paced back and forth rapidly, alternating between twirling her fingers and biting her nails. Merritt and Danny sighed as one before Merritt spoke. "Henley, you're making me dizzy with all your pacing. Would you sit down?"

"What if I hurt him? What if he hates me now? He probably won't talk to me again. Maybe I should go and apolo…"

"You'll do no such thing Hen. The boy deserved it. Besides, he's sleeping. Dylan would kill you if you woke him" Danny admonished

"Danny is right Henley. Jack knew what he did was wrong. He would never hold it against you. Quit worrying over nothing"

Henley resumed the pacing. After the spanking in the woods, it had taken her a while to cool off. Then came the stomach churning guilt over what had happened. She had tried talking to Jack, who spoke back so quietly Henley barely recognized him. "He didn't eat much at dinner today. He barely ate at all. He's mad at me. I know it. Oh God what did I do?"

"Henley, Jack barely eats half of what we eat. The doctor explained it remember? That's why we always have snacks lying around. When he's hungry he'll eat, not a moment before" Merritt tried to reason

"If it makes you feel better, hen, why don't you take him some snacks or something? I'm sure he'll appreciate it" Danny mumbled without taking his eyes off the TV.

Henley brightened immediately. "Yes, I'll try that. Thanks Danny" she said and disappeared into the kitchen. She reappeared a moment later. "What do you think he'll prefer? Orange juice or milk?"

Danny groaned loudly while Merritt stood up and pushed Henley until she was sitting in the other corner of the couch Danny was sitting in. "Henley, relax. Breathe. Jack is fine. He's not mad at you nor would he ever be. When he's hungry, he'll come down for food. Until then we leave him alone, okay?"

"Okay, but what…" she trailed off as the teenager in question came blearily down the stairs, more asleep than awake. He passed them without even noticing their presence and went straight to the kitchen. He came back out with a glass of milk and a plate of cookies, settling at the table and sleepily munching away. Danny and Merritt rolled their eyes at Henley's open mouthed look. This was not something new. Jack ate at all hours of the day and night due to his metabolism, and this was just one of those days. But Henley had worked herself up so much it almost seemed new to her.

When Jack finished eating, he stood up, and in the same half asleep steps, plopped himself in the middle of the couch with low 'ow', laid his head on Henley's lap, ad promptly went back to sleep. Merritt chuckled at the look of relief that crossed the red head's face and the visible relaxed posture. Danny didn't even turn from the TV as he mumbled a 'told you' under his breath.

Henley smiled as she run a hand through Jack's hair, bending to place a kiss on his head. _Thank you, Jackie._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Now You see Me. And I'm incredibly broke. There's no need to sue.**_

 _ **Warning: The medical procedures stated in this chapter are mostly my imagination and some stuff online. Not 100 percent true!**_

* * *

Jack groaned softly as he turned over in bed, hiking the comforter further up his chin. He felt absolutely miserable, and he didn't want to get out of bed. But he didn't want the others to know he wasn't feeling well either. He was already babied to within an inch of his life, and while he was usually not opposed to the attention – _who was he kidding, he absolutely_ _ **loved**_ _to be the center of attention_ – today, he had a strange feeling to not let the others know how crappy he felt. _Maybe he should have let the others know when he fell into that freezing lake_ , he mused. Dylan had still not returned from New York, but his grounding had been over almost a week ago, and one of his first orders of business was to seek out the few friends he had made in their short stay in the Southern town and get into some harmless mischief. And because they were them and he was him, their supposedly harmless bit of mischief ended up in Jack almost drowning in freezing temperatures. He had been pulled out almost immediately, and though having swallowed a couple mouthfuls of frigid water, he assumed he was not under long enough to cause any serious problems. He was wrong.

He suppressed a wet hacking cough in the pillow, wincing at the pain that flared up in his chest. If he was going to keep up the charade of being in perfect health, he better get out of bed soon, lest one of his self- appointed nannies come get him. With more effort than he would like he dragged himself wearily out of bed and into the bathroom, not even sparing a glance toward the unmade bed. His best efforts always ended up in the other guys making it all over again anyway, and he couldn't spare the energy.

The remaining horsemen jerked their heads up almost simultaneously at the sound of the shower running in Jack's room. Merritt from some weird show on TV, Henley from a fashion magazine and Danny halfway down the stairs with a book under his arm.

"Jack's awake?" Danny intoned, sparing a glance at his watch. "At 8:43 in the morning?"

"Strange" Henley added

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, fellas" Merritt said. "Perhaps, the boy is turning over a new leaf"

Henley and Danny scoffed together. "Were you waking up before noon during the holidays when you were a teenager?"

Merritt mused. "Fair point"

"Maybe he didn't get time to shower last night"

"Yea, he went straight to bed. Didn't even wake up for food"

"He was kinda out of it too. Has been these past couple of days actually. Almost asleep on his feet. Must have been really exhausted"

"Or sick"

Merritt and Henley swiveled to face Danny, who took a second to process what he himself had so nonchalantly insinuated before they all got up as one and started up the stairs towards Jack's room. The boy in question shuffled bleary-eyed out of the bathroom, steam trailing behind him and so deep in his misery he was he didn't notice the audience he had, until Merritt cleared his throat loudly. He jumped, then grabbed onto the bathroom door to steady himself when his vision swam.

"Jesus, guys. A little warning next time? Wanna give me a heart attack?" Jack snipped, then eyed them warily. They couldn't know, _could they_? He had been careful. "Why are you in my room anyway?"

"Oh, you know, just checking on our favorite person in the world" Merritt said with a flick of his wrist, while walking around to Jack's closet. "So how have you been Jackie?" he asked casually, flinging a pair of jeans and a shirt at Jack.

"I can dress myself, Merritt, thank you" Jack quipped. "And I was fine until you barged in here like you own the place. What the hell anyway? None of you ever heard of doors or knocking?" he asked, irritated

Henley hid a smile. Jack always got defensive when he was caught in a lie or was trying to shift attention, which made it all the more worrying. _What was he trying to hide this time_? Could he _really_ be sick? She decided to just bait him. "Danny, get the thermometer. Why didn't you tell us you were sick, Jack?"

Jack sputtered as he tried to come up with an answer. "W-What? Hen, I'm not… I'm not sick. Why would you think that?"

 _The signs were much clearer now_ , Merritt thought, as he took in Jack's flushed face and tense shoulders, like he was trying to hold in a sneeze or a cough. He sighed and pushed the trembling teen over to the bed- shirt forgotten on the ground as the effort to put it on proved too much for the boy- pushing him against the pillows and pulling up the sheets. "Gig's up Jackie. Just give up already. And stop holding in that cough or sneeze. You're beginning to look blue" Merritt said, patting his cheek, only to move his hand with a hiss. "Damn, Jack, you're burning up"

"It's really warm in here" Jack mumbled from the cocoon

"It's really not" Henley rebutted, as Danny came in with the thermometer. She took it from him and turned back to Jack. "Open up"

Jack whined and burrowed deeper into the bed. He was extremely tired and he could care less now if his sickness came to light.

Henley forced the thermometer between his lips and settled back to wait for the beep. She filled Danny in on what had transpired when he was gone, both scoffing over what goes on in Jack's head and how he possibly thought he could get away with sickness. The thermometer beeped after a couple of minutes and Henley took it out, frowning at Jack's lethargic look and too bright eyes. He hadn't looked that bad when they came in, _did he?_ Her answer came a split second later when she gave a sharp gasp and dropped the thermometer onto the bed. "Danny, get my coat. Merritt, grab Jack. We're going to the hospital" she said as she flew out the door and down the stairs into the garage.

"Wha-What?" Danny sputtered. "Hospital, Hen what…" he was interrupted when the redhead shoved the thermometer under his nose. He took a second to read the numbers. "Oh shit! This is bad". He met Merritt's questioning gaze. "106.8. How the hell was he still standing?"

Merritt gathered Jack up in his arms as soon as the numbers left Danny's lips, sprinting down the stairs to meet Henley in the car. He had just settled Jack in the back seat and slid in beside him when Danny came running out the door, Henley's coat in one hand and Jack's sneakers and socks and discarded shirt in the other. How he had time to grab all that, Merritt never knew, moving Jack into his lap and pulling the seatbelt across both of them just in time for Henley to lurch across the compound.

* * *

Everything was a blur after they got to the hospital. Firstly, Henley's driving was way over the speed limit, gifting them a police escort all the way to the hospital since she wouldn't stop for _**'even the apocalypse'.**_ Then Danny sprinted out of the jeep before it had even come fully to a stop, almost face planting in the process and yelling at the top of his voice for a doctor. After that, it was a whirlwind of activity, as Jack was pried from Merritt's arms and deposited on a gurney, an oxygen mask snapped to his face and people in white coats yelling about ice packs and cold baths.

And then came the time to play the waiting game. Henley paced dizzyingly across the waiting room, her heels making clicks on the floor, as Danny tapped his foot in worried impatience and Merritt tried to fill in Jack's information.

"It's been over an hour, right?" Henley spoke suddenly, making Danny jump a little at the unexpectedness. "What is taking so long?"

"It's barely been forty minutes Henley. They'll come talk to us when they have something substantial. Try to relax" Merritt said

She nodded, before beginning to pace again, only to stop suddenly a few minutes later. "Oh God!"

Danny jerked up. "What? What is 'Oh God'?"

"We haven't called Dylan" she stated simply

Eyes widened as realization dawned. "He's going to kill us" Danny moaned, before delving his hand into his pocket in an attempt to pull out his phone. "Oh no. I think I left mine". He looked around. "Merritt, you got yours?" Merritt shook his head

"I think mine's in the car" Henley spoke, watching almost absent mindedly as Danny practically raced to the car. Her focus promptly returned as a doctor approached them. She almost tripped as she turned mid stride to face the man. "How is he? Is he going to be okay? Will there be brain damage? Will ….?"

"Calm down, miss" the doctor tried to soothe. "Mr. …"

"Jack. Just Jack"

"Jack is in very delicate condition. He has a severe case of pneumonia, and an infected cut on his left leg just above his ankle. That combined with the infection in his lungs is what gave him such a high fever…"

"Pneumonia? It's the middle of summer. How in the hell did he get pneumonia?" Merritt asked disbelievingly

"You'd be surprised what kids get into these days" the doctor replied, just as Danny returned. "He also has a sprained wrist and some light bruising on the ribs. What is more alarming though, is…"

"There's more?" Danny croaked. "I thought this was a simple fever"

The doctor turned to him, face grave. "I'm afraid not. He suffered intracranial epidural hematoma from whatever happened. That, along with the unusually high fever, can cause permanent brain damage"

"Wha-What?" Henley squeaked

"We're going to have to operate, and we'll do that as soon as he's stable enough. We've managed to bring down his temperature some, but at 103.4, that's still high. We are also administering some antibiotics that will help with the infections. I need Jack's parent or guardian's consent to proceed though. The procedure we are about to perform on him is relatively new, though effective, but he has to meet some criteria first. Otherwise, it could do more harm than good. Can you get someone like that down here as soon as possible?" the doctor ended, looking at the dazed and confused trio before him.

Merritt shook himself out of the trance to stutter a reply at the good doctor, watching through half lidded eyes as he returned to his work. He looked at the younger horsemen beside him, who seemed to still be in shock.

"How did he hide all that?" Danny finally managed to whisper

"Oh Jackie" Henley moaned

"Danny, did you get Henley's phone? We need to call Dylan right now" Merritt requested of the somehow still stunned young man, who passed him the phone distractedly. He dialed the familiar numbers and waited for it to connect.

* * *

Dylan couldn't remember how he had gotten to the airport. He vaguely recalled picking up the phone and grumbling 'Rhodes' before his world came to a standstill. The five words that caused this, though, he remembered clear as day.

 _Dylan, something's happened to Jack._

After that, he loosely remembered yelling at his secretary to get him on a plane in the next half hour. And then he demanded to speak to Jack's doctor, practically threatened him to _'_ _ **make sure my boy does not die'**_ _,_ and then started to rattle off the information they needed to operate. The only calm part of the situation came when the confused doctor told Dylan the age he had given for Jack and the one Merritt had put on his form did not match, prompting Dylan to calmly state that _**'he's seventeen. Merritt must have been under immense pressure'.**_ He felt slightly bad for putting Merritt out like that- he _had_ planned to tell them as soon as he got back, and then made sure Jack remembered never to lie about his age again- but it was the best he could do from here. The information itself had been found by Alma, who was doing some research on the horsemen before she flew in to join the task force in America that was going to be working with them. Oh, yea, that was _another_ thing he was going to discuss with his horsemen. Anyway, his sweet Alma had found the information and, after the initial anger and shock at Jack's life before their little group, had decided to tell the horsemen about the new development in person.

He sighed and turned to look at the beautiful lady beside him. "They'll be happy to see you; you know". She hummed, then furrowed her brows as she kept reading. He stole a glance at her laptop to see what she was reading. He sighed again. "Alma, why are you still reading this? The doctor said his temperature was falling steadily, and that the fever was almost gone"

She hummed again, then turned to look at his screen. "What do they say about the head thing?" she asked, nodding towards his screen where he was reading on intracranial epidural hematoma.

He promptly shut the laptop. "I don't want to read anymore. It's just messing with my mind. I can't stop imagining stuff"

Alma sighed. "Me too". She added after a pause, "I really hope he's okay"

* * *

They wouldn't allow him to see Jack. Dylan had done everything he could; from shoving his badge in their faces to threatening to relieve them of their jobs, everything short of pulling a gun on them, and he was considering that right now. He also refused to see any sense whatsoever in their explanation. _His temperature had finally gotten to a safe enough figure that they could now operate, if only Dylan would sign some papers._ He hastily signed of course, and after assuring them that _yes, he's really seventeen_ several times, they finally wheeled Jack into the operating room, and then the waiting game began all over again.

"Danny, get Mr. Rogers on the phone" Dylan demanded

Danny made the call, then sat back with the others while Dylan interrogated the poor Rogers' boy. _What was his name again?_ Devon. Yes, that was it. He hoped whatever Devon had to tell Dylan about how Jack found himself in such dire condition would calm the man down. He tuned out the conversation as he looked around the waiting room. Alma carded her hand through Henley's hair and Merritt sat with his chin propped up by his elbow. Danny plopped himself down beside Merritt and resigned himself to waiting.

He didn't know when he fell asleep or how long he had been sleeping. He must have really been tired to have been able to nod off with all that was going on. They had been at the hospital for about thirty-six hours now, and all the worrying and stress-filled hours had taken its toll. Next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake by Dylan, who apparently had managed to settle him on one of the sofa-like waiting chairs; the hospital was really big, and the southern town didn't have too many people, hence the very spacious and almost empty waiting room.

"Hey" Dylan said softly as Danny blinked up at him. "They moved Jack into the ICU. He's still out of it, but we've been allowed to sit with him. Alma is already in there with Merritt. I thought I'd let you and Henley sleep a little bit more"

Danny was instantly more awake after the words _Jack_ and _ICU._ "No, its fine. I want to see him. Is he okay? How was the surgery? What did the doctors say? And the…"

"Danny, calm down" Dylan cut in with a slight chuckle. "Jack's going to be just fine. The doctors said it was touch and go for a while but that he came through okay. He's young, and even though he'll need a bit of time to recover, he's going to be okay"

"Oh, thank God" Danny breathed. "I was… I was really scared this time Dylan"

Dylan swept the young man into a hug. "I know Danny. Me too". He run a hand through his curls. They felt coarse, a testament to how long ago since he had taken a shower. Hopefully, his next one will be very soon, Dylan thought as he kissed Danny's head. "Should we go see the little troublemaker now?"

* * *

Everything looked blurry when he opened his eyes. And should eyes be that heavy? What had he been doing last night that made him feel like a truck had plowed over him? He tried to push himself out of bed and immediately sucked in a breath at the sharp pain that lanced through his leg and his head. Reflexive tears of pain leaked out from beneath his tightly closed eyelids. He didn't even hear himself let out a cry. But he did hear some muffled voices suddenly start talking.

"…ack…you…hen…sweetie…doctor…come on…eyes…scare…Jack...jack!"

Jack couldn't make heads or tails of what they were saying, but he did open his eyes again to look into the faces of Dylan and Danny and Alma. Wait, _Alma?_

"Jack, sweetie, how are you feeling?" Alma asked, a hint of worry lingering in her voice

Jack tried to open his mouth and say something, but his voice came out as a croak. His hands flew to his throat as panic flashed in his eyes as to why he couldn't speak. Instead of his throat however, his hands made it to his face, and Jack being Jack decided he didn't want the nasal canula and tried to rip it off his face. Dylan's hands stopped him, and he squirmed in discomfort as more tears run down his cheeks, wondering why no one was making any attempt to relieve his pain.

"Where is that damn doctor?" Danny cursed, at the same time that Henley came running in with the doctor. "He's in pain. Why is he in pain?"

"The shock of waking up" the doctor said as he flashed a light in Jack's eyes. "It will wear off soon. Mostly anyway. This new procedure is very effective. Instead of splitting headaches and double vision, he'll have mild to medium headaches; nothing that some paracetamol cannot solve. He'll be given some antibacterial for the pneumonia and the leg wound, and some ointment for the bruises. His leg though, he'll need crutches for a while, a couple of weeks at the most. Barring any complications, which I seriously doubt, he should be able to leave tomorrow morning"

"Tomorrow? Isn't that a bit early? I mean, he just had surgery" Henley said, concerned

The doctor smiled. "Like I said, the experimental procedure is very effective. It is a milestone for medicine across the globe. Now if you'll excuse me"

The small group watched the doctor as he left. Jack had fallen back to sleep, and Dylan and Alma settled down to wait. They had managed to convince ( _cough_ _ **order**_ ), Henley and Danny to go home and freshen up and grab some clean clothes for Jack. Merritt had been away getting coffee and doughnuts when the doctor had been in so Dylan filled him in when he returned. Now, with Danny and Henley gone, Merritt snoozing in the chair and Alma outright sleeping, Dylan had a moment with his boy. He run his hand through Jack's short cropped hair- it had to be cut to accommodate the surgery, and there will be yelling about that later, he was sure- and kissed his head. He took the time to savor Jack's breaths on his face, a sign that he was still alive and just sleeping. He grabbed the boy's hand tightly as his body finally released all the built-up tension of the last couple of days.

Jack was okay. Jack was going to be fine.


End file.
